Getting Priorities all wrong? Somalia Fighting the Wrong Battle Against Friendly Kenya as Al Shabaab Kill Deputy Attorney General

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Somali Deputy Attorney General was shot dead by two armed men while driving a car in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu on Wednesday and the
Al-Qaida affiliated group Al-Shabab has claimed responsibility for the murder – proving yet again that the Somali government have their priorities wrong by fighting a friendly and helpful Kenya.

The ongoing withdrawal of troops from Somalia is also raising concerns of a security vacuum that a resurgent Al Shabaab will exploit.

The militant group claimed responsibility for the assassination of Somalia’s deputy attorney general on Wednesday in Mogadishu.

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Authorities say the attack took place in the Hodan district as Mohamed Abdirahman Mursal left home for work.

Witnesses told VOA Somali that two men on a motorcycle blocked his way, ordered him to exit the car and shot him dead. The reason for the attack was not known, although al-Shabab has in the past assassinated government officials, civil servants, soldiers and elders.

The men, who were armed with pistols, fled the scene in the car. Police later found the vehicle abandoned.

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Somali officials condemned the attack on Mursal and described him as a rising attorney who studied Islamic law in Saudi Arabia. One official who spoke on condition of anonymity said Mursal was planning to go to Qatar later this year to take courses for an advanced law degree.

In September 2017, al-Shabab gunmen assassinated Mursal’s mother, Anab Abdullahi Hashi, who was secretary general of a Somali women’s organization.

To make matters worse, a diplomatic row broke out on Saturday after Kenya declared Somalia an enemy state and summoned its envoy in a dramatic escalation of a long-running maritime dispute. Somalia denied offering oil and gas blocs in Kenyan territory for auction, but relations are yet to be normalised. It was not immediately clear how this would affect Kenya’s involvement with Amisom.

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The African Union Mission in Somalia was initially meant to deploy with 8,000 troops for just six months in 2007. However, it has had its mandate consistently renewed and expanded.

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Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, Djibouti and Burundi have since jointly contributed 22,000 troops. Now they are trying to scale back and hand control to a fledgling Somali government and ill-equipped military.

The first reduction of troops was done in December 2017. In line with the UN Security Council Resolution 2431 (2018), 1,000 troops will withdraw this month in the second phase.

However, recent terror attacks in Somalia have put to question the strategy. 

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